It can be difficult to orient yourself on the ground in Shanghai. A map will help, but an aerial view of the city will show you just how awesome this city is. You could charter a helicopter, but a far cheaper option is seeing the...

One of my HIGHEST RECOMMENDATIONS for drinks is the Grand Hyatt Shanghai. The Grand Hyatt occupies the top 36 floors of the 88-story Jin Mao Tower in the Jetsons-looking Pudong district, so at sunset (or anytime) you have a stunning view (with no...

There are many acrobatic shows to choose from in Shanghai. One, Eros, boasts, "If you miss this, you miss Shanghai!" but it looked very high-tech, more like a Cirque du Soleil, and I wanted to see a traditional show. Well, this was it. It's most...

Yu Garden is a must-go place in Shanghai, especially you like architecture. It is such a peaceful place to go, even in the rain... This dragon rooftop is inside the Yu (Jade) Garden in Shanghai. The dragon looks toward to the sky, and about to fly...

On a trip to Shanghai, I took a few days to visit nearby water villages which are considered to be suburbs of Shanghai. These are the places where the canals dominate the village landscape. Often, getting from point A to point B requires transport...

Shanghai's arts and crafts enclave, Tianzifang, is a labyrinth of narrow lanes bursting with diminutive shops, restaurants, and bars. Most of the shops here are located inside shikumen, stone gatehouses dating to the early 1930s. Gear up for...

This three-mile stretch of shopping is only open to pedestrians. After spending the morning in nearby People's Park I ventured onto the street for an afternoon of eating and browsing. The street boasts high-end luxury stores and local specialty...

Architecture lovers flock to the Huangpu River's western side to stroll the Bund, a waterfront tourist magnet in central Shanghai. There's a glorious mishmash of late-19th- and early-20th-century styles here, from Gothic revival to art deco. Walk...

Housed in a restored shikumen (stone-frame house, typical of the architecture of the 1920s and '30s) in Xintiandi, the Site of the First Chinese National Congress is worth a visit. The museum documents the start of communism in China in a rather...

Completed in 1994, the Oriental Pearl TV tower was the tallest building in Shanghai until 2007 and is still arguably one of the most recognizable towers in Shanghai’s skyline. The tower actually has 15 observation floors but the highest is...

If you want to drink with the young and hip, look no further than Ginseng, located on Yongkang Road, an up-and-coming bar street. They have a full menu of specialty cocktails, all made with high-end liquors. If you're lucky you'll meet Misha, the...

This is one of my favorite streets in the old part of Shanghai – SiNan Lu (Road). It is a hidden street, probably a mere 1KM north to south, with lot of historical stories around, with one particularly the former residence of Sun Yat-sen, which...

Barbarossa's Moroccan cuisine, Arabian decor and dramatic warm lighting are like a scene out of Casablanca. However, positioned against Shanghai's skyline and a crowd of hip locals, dining here is a wholly modern Chinese experience. Stay for...

Rustic charm and good home-style cooking are what come to mind when you eat at Di Shui Dong. The Hunan eatery is always packed, a testament to how good their grub really is. If you're unfamiliar with Hunan cuisine, it's the spicy cousin of...

Some of the most exquisite pottery I've ever seen, Spin offers up pieces from a collective of local designers. From vases to teapots and even jewelry, they have a great range of smaller pieces that pack well, but if you're so enamored by their...

When speaking of local design talents, Shanghai-based designer Helen Lee's name invariably comes up. Her womenswear designs are inspired from her travels throughout China, and she aims to promote ethnic minority cultures through her designs. Her...